Crippled Jet Defied Odds Till Final Seconds

August 19, 1989|By Knight-Ridder Newspapers.

WASHINGTON — It was almost over.

After wrestling their crippled DC-10 down from more than six miles above the earth, making circle after circle in the only direction the jumbo jet would fly, hoping they could keep what little control they had, and considering a landing on a highway, the cockpit crew members of United Airlines Flight 232 finally had Sioux Gateway Airport in sight.

The ground was only 60 seconds away. For more than a half hour, a cool-headed rookie controller had been coaching an intense but calm-voiced veteran pilot to Sioux City, Ia.

For a moment-and only a moment-the tension broke as the airport loomed ahead and below Flight 232.

Controller Kevin Bachman cleared the plane to land ``on any runway.``

Laughter came over the radio from ``232 Heavy,`` the designation for the United jetliner.

``You want to be particular and make it a runway, huh?`` joked Capt. Alfred C. Haynes, relief in his voice.

That moment was the only break in the tension in the conversation between the tower and Flight 232.

The tape recording of those exchanges was released Friday by the Federal Aviation Administration.

Unfortunately, the DC-10 didn`t make the runway. Seconds from touchdown, the huge jet rolled to the right. The wing hit the ground and the plane began tumbling, on fire.

Bachman and his fellow controllers, who had been so excited to see the plane as it crossed the airport perimeter, watched the flames and smoke in shock.

``Right after it happened, I turned away, because I really didn`t think anybody would get out alive,`` Bachman told reporters Friday. ``Then I went downstairs and cried.``

Although 111 people died in the July 19 crash, 185 survived.

On the FAA tape, Bachman, a 27-year-old controller who had been in Sioux City just two months, received the first call of trouble at 3:23 p.m. from a controller at the Minneapolis Air Route Traffic Control Center.

(thousand feet). Heading right now is 290 (degrees) and we`ve got about a 500-foot rate of descent. . . . OK, so you know, we have almost no control ability, very little elevator and almost no aileron. We are controlling the turns by power. . . . We can only turn right, but we can`t turn left.``

Haynes` plane was riddled with shrapnel from the explosion of the tail engine. The DC-10`s three hydraulics systems, which control critical flight maneuvers like steering, climbing and descending, were severed. Haynes was flying a plane that, according to almost anybody`s handbook, shouldn`t still be in the air.

At 3:32 p.m., the voice Bachman heared from the cockpit was tense.

``We have no hydraulic fluid, which means we have no elevator control, almost none. And very little aileron control. I have serious doubts about making the airport. Have you got some place near there that we might be able to ditch? Unless we get control of this airplane, we`re going to put it down wherever it happens to be.``

As his plane descended, Haynes, a former fighter pilot and airline veteran, asked his location.

``Where is the airport for us now, as we come spinning down here?``

Bachman told him the airport was straight ahead, 36 miles away.

``OK,`` Haynes said. ``We are trying to go straight. We`re not having much luck.``

At 3:35 p.m., the news was more hopeful.

``We`re going to try and put it in at Sioux City,`` Haynes said.

Bachman reaffirmed the decision: ``There is no airport out that way that can accommodate you, sir.``

``OK, we`ll head for Sioux City. We got a little bit of control back now.``

More circles. The airport was now 37 miles away. Then 33 miles.

At 3:46 p.m., Haynes began making preparations to land.

``OK, United 232. We`re starting a left turn back to the airport. Since, ah, we have no hydraulics, braking is really going to be a problem. Ah, we suggest the (emergency) equipment be towards the far end of the runway and I think under the circumstances, regardless of the condition of the airplane, when we stop we`re going to evacuate. So you might notify the, ah, ground crew equipment that we`re going to do that.``

Twenty-one miles to go.

Bachman gave Haynes another heading to line the plane up better with the airport and ``to take you away from the city.``

``Whatever you do,`` Haynes agreed, ``keep us away from the city.``

The airport was now 17 miles ahead. Flight 232 was about 1,500 feet above the ground-not a lot of room to maneuver.

There was still some doubt about making the airport. Bachman pointed out a nearby four-lane highway.

``OK,`` Haynes said. ``We`ll see what we can do here. We`ve already put the gear down and we`re going to have to put it down on something solid if we can.``

The airport was 10 miles away.

At 3:58 p.m., ``Have runway in sight,`` a relieved Haynes said. ``We`ll be with you very shortly. Thanks a lot for your help.``